Team PATA

PATA Projects - Play Football For Life

Play Football for Life (PFL) – created in partnership by One to One Children's Fund and Whizzkids United (WKU) – aims to create an AIDS-free generation in a unique and innovative way. They want to provide sustainable HIV/AIDS education and awareness leading to permanent behaviour changes, acquisition of vital life skills and building self-esteems by employing the language of football as an analogy to life.

A pilot programme was launched in 2009 in Rustenburg (North West Province, South Africa). Within a year, over 2 500 children participated in and benefited from the life skills course presented by PFL. One to One Children's Fund and Whizzkids will be launching a new one year programme in Rustenburg for 8 more schools which will benefit up to 3000 children in local primary schools in Rustenburg by December 2011. The programme will also be rolled out to the Eastern Cape next year.

There are four components of the programme: The Life Skills Course is taught both inside the schools and outside on the football pitch. Children are empowered with the knowledge and skills they need to practice healthy modes of behaviour. Upon completion of the Life Skills Course, all children and adolescents receive a certificate, medal and get to participate in a World Cup Football Tournament; an all day, co-ed tournament modelled on the FIFA World Cup. Teachers choose one boy and one girl who have shown exceptional leadership during the Life Skills Course and they receive additional training to become Peer Educators, eventually leading workshops with their classmates. The last component is Teacher Training, in which teachers are trained to deliver the Life Skills Course. The training is designed to strengthen the sustainability of the programme by building the capacity of teachers, allowing them to teach the programme independently for years to come.

On 9 June 2010 in London, a six-a-side football tournament was organised to raise funds for One to One Children's Fund. Sixteen teams participated, all coached by football legends. The final match was refereed by Pier Luigi Collina (regarded by many as the best referee of all time) and the tournament was followed by a dinner and auction. Much of the proceeds will go towards PFL and its roll-out.

If there are other clinics who are interested in collaborating on PFL, please contact One to One Children's Fund at office@onetoonekids.org.